Comin' Up From Behind
by Nejinee
Summary: Axel's the hottest thing since sliced bread. Or so he thinks. Time for someone to knock him down a peg.


This was based on the idea of randomly picking a song on my playlist and writing a story based on the title of the song. I got the Marcy's Playground song "comin' Up From Behind" which, to be honest is PERFECT for Roxas. I recommend anyone listen to it. Try radioblog. It's awesome.

**Comin' Up From Behind**

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If the noise in the local mall was anything to go by, a newcomer to the area would have assumed that the local high school was gigantic. It was. The palava made by almost every teen on the island must have been traumatizing to any adults in the region.

As it was, Friday night was the worst. This particular Friday called on maybe not all the students in the local Destiny Islands High but a good number of them. They showed up in pairs, in groups and in droves. A new movie was out. The latest action-packed, humour-flecked parody of a teenager's life in the real world. A surefire hit.

A pair of boys had gathered at the nearby coffee shop, waiting for the last of their group to appear. Upon his arrival, they cheered. Tall as he was, the boy didn't need to rely on height to find his friends. His natural, wily good looks and blinding red hair always had people turning and parting way for him. Axel, naturally, was absorbing all he could of this limelight.

In an average day, the lanky redhead got more compliments, wolf-whistles and blown kisses than any other male on the island. Except maybe for one competitor but Axel knew he wasn't around.

Interestingly, the knot of boys weren't at the theatre to catch the latest action flick. Feeling themselves of a higher creed, they'd opted to come see the new Science Fiction epic based on popular novel printed by a young author just over two years ago. All of them were big fans of the book and its subsequent graphic novels.

"Is it here?" Axel asked immediately, peering about.

"Nah," Demyx replied, lounging against the wall. He eyed a gaggle of girls as they passed, tickets in hand.

"Well, why not?" Axel moaned, his face annoyed.

"They seem to have packed it away," Zexion replied in his cool dulcet tones. "You can't expect it to still be here. Not after the last time."

"But I neeeed a life-size cardboard cutout of Obi-swan-Jenovi!" Axel whined, his shoulders slumping. A pair of dark-haired girls wandered past and his posture immediately improved. "Evening ladies," he said with his feral grin. The two giggled and waved. Axel watched them move, enjoying the sway of identically slim hips.

"Would you please stop that?" Demyx cried, pulling Axel round. The blonde hated the way Axel could garner every girl's attention, leaving he (the musician, the ARTIST for crying out loud!) out of the picture. "I'm here to pick up chicks too, ya know!" Demyx pouted as Axel laughed.

"Sorry, Dem," Axel chuckled, "Can't help it if the ladies want a piece of this." He slapped his butt and indicated towards his denim-clad legs and bright green tee. "Or the boys for that matter," Axel's eyes rolled, following the figure of a lone brunette boy with large brown eyes. The other boy glanced at Axel. The redhead licked his lips. The brunette blushed, looked away, looked at Axel again and then dashed off.

"Stop it," Demyx groaned, covering his face, "You are so embarrassing!"

Axel blinked. "What? Me? You're kidding!"

"Well, you do hit on anything that moves," Zexion said, popping a bubblegum bubble.

Axel 'ahemed'. "Correction, _anything with an ass wider than mine_. Hello."

Zexion nodded, "Sure, whatever."

"Just keep your hands to yourself, okay?" Demyx said, his eyes pleading. "Just for tonight, hmm? You need to stop messing about with random people, Ax-" Even Demyx couldn't help watching a gaggle of blondes waltz past. The sight of their whispers and giggles only reaffirmed his statement. "And leave some for the rest of us."

"Hey," Axel said, running his fingers through his spiky locks, "If you can't get your own dates, don't blame me. Cause and effect, my friend. Cause and effect."

"Yeah," Zexion said, flicking his grey-blue hair, "You're the cause, Ax and Demyx' chastity is the effect."

"What?" Demyx spluttered, "Chastity? To hell with you! I'm not chaste! I'm not virginal or in need of help! I'm-"

"Just hard up," Axel added.

Demyx spun on him. Axel laughed, holding his stomach at his best friend's apparent rage.

"Heh," Zexion breathed, "He's right, too."

"Whose side are you _on_?!" Demyx hissed. "Axel's had or been with almost every damn attractive person on this bloody island! How in the HELL am I supposed to cope if everyone's either gonna rebound on him, hate me for being friend's with him or just keep asking me for his NUMBER??"

"Whoa, breathe," Axel said, patting Demyx' heaving back. "I think you might be overestimating my hotness. Though I am pretty hot."

"Shut up," Demyx snapped. "I wish you'd hurry up and find some person, someONE to keep you busy long enough for the rest of us to get a chance."

Axel looked a little hurt and scratched his head, "Dem, dude. I can't help that, man. It's not that simple. The person of your dreams doesn't just waltz into the mall on a Friday night and...and..suddenly...and..."

Axel had stopped talking. Demyx and Zexion looked at one another. Axel's eyes were following something. Turning, the two boys saw a trio of teenagers approaching the theatre. The first two they recognized. Riku, third year and his ever present bubble of love, Sora, first year. Beside Sora strode a similar figure. Short, blonde and quiet, he seemed, his eyes following the tiles on the floor. His hands were in his baggy cargo pockets and he donned a worn red and white t-shirt.

Axel hadn't stopped staring. If anything, his eyes had only blinked more and widened further.

"Uh..." Zexion began.

"Axel," Demyx added.

The redhead's head turned towards them but his eyes still followed the trio. His mouth still hung open.

"Dude," Demyx said, smiling wryly, "Shut your trap. You'll catch flies."

"Short, blonde, sticky flies," Zexion chuckled.

"Whu?" Axel said, focusing on his friends.

His two friends eyed him.

"GUYS!" Axel yelled suddenly, as though just realizing. "I just saw the CUTEST kid ever in the history of EVER. Look! Look!" He pointed his finger frantically at the blonde kid who was standing at the box office. He was rummaging in his pocket.

"We saw," Zexion said, smiling evilly. "So what?"

"So what? SO WHAT??" Axel cried, eyes wide. "HELLO! Hottie alert! Call the fire department! The whole building's about to blow!"

"So get over there," Demyx said, crossing his arms.

"What? I can't just WALK over there! What do I say? What do I do? 'Hello, my name's Axel and let me get in your pants?'" Axel wailed, hands flailing impossibly.

"Please," Zexion added, earning an elbow from Demyx.

"You mean to say Axel the almighty mover, shaker, calamity heartbreaker hasn't got the nerve to get over there and say hi to some squirt?" Demyx asked.

Axel gasped, "He is not a squirt! He is adorable. Sir Adorabilis of Sweety-pie. And Cute and LOOK at that face! All like, 'help me, I'm so innocent, I need love and big strong Axel to keep me safe and warm.'"

Zexion and Demyx gave identical grimaces. "Ew. Grow up."

Axel glared at them. "You two have no charm whatsoever. Ingrates."

Standing up to his full height, Axel began straightening his hair and fluffing his shirt. Or was it straightening his shirt and fluffing his hair? Neither seemed to work anyway. Axel could get by wearing a scarf and a kilt and no one would bat an eyelid.

"I'm going over," he said conspiratorially, as though his two friends cared. "Wish me luck."

Axel strode off, his air of self-supported arrogance returning. _I am SO gonna nail this kid. Then I'm gonna take him home, feed him sweet things, maybe a bit of a bath. Some Barry White, a little chardonnay...and WHAM! All MINE!_

Coming up behind the blonde, Axel took a deep breath.

"Hey, shortstuff. Want an Adonis in your life?"

The blonde boy turned, looking up at the stranger. "Excuse me?" he said, his voice cold and wary. Axel shivered.

_Okay, next one._

"I said, wanna play Doctor while the lights are out?"

The blonde looked dumbfounded.

"Someone to fly you to Olympus and have sirens sing to you?"

Wait, was that right?

The blonde gave a frown. "That has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. What was that? A pick-up line?"

Axel faltered. His pick-up lines were honed to absolute perfection. He knew they were. Why else could he get dates? "Uh..."

"Because if it was, you need to work on them more. I mean seriously. Adonis? Nice try. Sirens? On Mount Olympus? You got your fairytales mixed up, buddy. Go tell some single-celled life form, maybe they'd care. Maybe they'll share their braincell with you."

The blonde gave him a cold, hard look before turning and following his friends into the theatre.

Axel was AGHAST. and DAMN the kid had a cute butt. He was still AGHAST though.

He stood there, stone still.

Rejected. He was rejected. By the one true blue love of his life. He was going to have to throw his grieving body off the tallest tower in declaration of his true spirit. He'd plummet to his doom, his love, adoration and experience unrequited. Woeful were these times.

A smack to the head brought him back to earth.

"You idiot," Demyx growled, "What the hell was that?"

"I am sooooo disappointed, dude," Zexion muttered, shaking his head. "Probably the most pathetic pick-up I have ever seen."

"He's perfect," Axel whispered.

"What?"

"He's PERFECT!" Axel turned to them, grinning madly.

Demyx and Zexion eyed each other.

"My time has COME!" Axel yelled, throwing his arms in the air. "SOON he will be MINE! With a mind like a steel trap and a hot bod like that? Perfection has no other name than-"

He paused.

Demyx rolled his eyes.

'Blond-haired kid," he suggested.

"Blonde-haired KID!" Axel yelled, laughing evilly.

And so, Axel's time was at hand. To face his greatest fear. Move into the darkness and reclaim the light that shone within.

"To the theatre!" he yelled, striding off.

"Oh God," Demyx whined, covering his face, "I'm never gonna get laid."

A hand creeped forward and pinched his butt suddenly, making him yelp. Zexion grinned and whispered over his shoulder.

"Don't be too sure of that."

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THE END.

This is a one-shot and it will remain so. I will not be updating it at all.


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